


Are You Busy?

by vampirepun



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 19:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15468378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampirepun/pseuds/vampirepun
Summary: Distance is rough on the both of them. But they always make it work.





	Are You Busy?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soonhan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soonhan/gifts).



Jeonghan woke up abruptly, realizing he had fallen asleep on his homework. His notebooks were scattered on his desk, drool dripping from his lip, the tip of his pen rubbing against his cheek. He was sure he had an embarrassing smear of blue ink on his face. He had woken up from the desk vibrating, the last buzzing from a missed phone call. He rubbed his eyes, sore from the uncomfortable nap and general sleep deprivation. He felt around for his phone, discovering it under his notebook. It was 11:30pm, and he had three unread texts and one missed call from Soonyoung. His shift at work was finally done, and was trying to initiate their nightly phone call.

He sat up straight, strain on his back and neck sharp and painful. He didn’t reply to Soonyoung’s texts, which only told him his shift was an hour longer due to covering for his co-worker. He worked at a restaurant, his hours scattered and occupying most of the time that wasn’t spent at school. Jeonghan just phoned him back, cracking his neck and grunting as the other line rang.

“Hey! Were you asleep?” He heard Soonyoung’s voice cheerfully on the other line. It made the stiffness in his joints ease, and he smiled.

“Yeah. On my desk, in my homework.” He cracked his shoulder blades and his neck again, mirroring Soonyoung’s laugh.

“Poor thing. Is it overwhelming or just boring?” Soonyoung asked, and Jeonghan skimmed the page he had fallen asleep on, trying to remember what he was supposed to be studying before he passed out.

“Neither, I just haven’t been sleeping right. The work is actually interesting. It’s conflict resolution for children.” He said, his smile widening. He glanced from the readings back to his notes, proud of himself for managing to complete two-thirds of his homework before his body decided it needed sleep.

“Oh cool, like if they fight over toys or something?” There was sounds in the background of the other line, the beeping of the microwave telling Jeonghan that Soonyoung was making his very late dinner.

Jeonghan hummed in affirmation. “It’s very circumstantial. Both children need equal amounts of attention and validation. And since kids are so used to constant adult intervention at this age, you should start teaching them to help solve their own conflicts. You’re not supposed to scold one child and favour the other, even if it involves an injury. You can’t just assume a child understands the difference between right and wrong.” He found himself rambling, holding his phone up with his shoulder pressed to his ear as he reorganized his work. He organized a few papers into one stack, shifting his notebook to the side so he had room to rest his elbow on the desk.

“You’re so cute when you talk about your studies,” Soonyoung said when he stopped his explanation, making him laugh shyly, ducking his head.

“Thanks. I’ve already applied to two places for my placement next year,” he said excitedly. He couldn’t wait for his years of studying to pay off in practice.

“That’s awesome! In school or a daycare?” Soonyoung asked through a mouthful of food. Jeonghan pictured how full his cheeks must have looked like, his chest tightening with a pang of sadness, disappointed that he couldn’t see such a cute image.

“I applied to one school and one daycare centre. I did it two weeks earlier than the deadline, so I hope I’m picked over the last minute applications.” He knew he had a lot of classmates who were prone to procrastinate, so he made sure to send in his applications to stand out against the sea of students the placements would be receiving. He heard Soonyoung hum on the other line, a little more distant than before. He must have put his phone on speaker to eat his food.

“Smart. I know you’ll get picked,” he told him, and Jeonghan grinned, his cheeks warming up in embarrassment.

“Thanks. Sorry, I’ve been going on and on about myself. How was your day, how was your shift?” he asked, hearing Soonyoung hum in thought.

“Don’t be sorry, I like hearing about what you’re studying. And my day…” He paused again, sounding more tired. He worked a long shift, and Jeonghan felt bad. He knew he had an early day tomorrow. “Had one class, then a few hours of studio time, then went to work. Nothing too exciting, to be honest.”

“Not necessarily. What did you do in your studio time?” Jeonghan asked, perking up in interest. It didn’t matter if Soonyoung talked about eggs for two hours- and he had before-, anything he said could keep him entertained. He missed him so much, wanting to see him talk about his day as well as hear it.

“Practicing. Hao and I have to do a duet for our next assignment,” he explained, Jeonghan heard him take a swig of a drink, coughing as it went down the wrong way. He waited for him to settle back down before speaking again, rubbing his eyes. He was getting tired again, the nap not providing enough rest.

“I thought it was a solo.” He remembered Soonyoung mentioning practicing for a solo.

Soonyoung coughed one last time. “No, that was my first assignment. It’s a solo, duet, trio, then a group of four to eight. Supposed to get progressively harder.” Jeonghan could practically hear the smirk on his face, his confidence bright enough to catch despite their distance.

“I’m glad you aren’t struggling. Are you choreographing this one too? Will you ever let your team contribute?” he giggled. He knew Soonyoung was studying specifically to become a dance choreographer, but assumed once in a while he’d have to pass the control to one of his classmates. He laughed when Soonyoung got louder.

“I do! I have to for class! Besides, Hao doesn’t mind. He likes my choreo!” Jeonghan had to pull the phone slightly away from his ear to keep from going deaf. He loved riling Soonyoung up, how easily offended he got and how it energized him rather than angered him. He couldn’t stop laughing.

“Alright, calm down! Who are you planning to get for your trio?” he asked, stifling a yawn.

“We’ve been talking to Junhui, but so many people want him on their team!” Jeonghan heard him start, explaining how his dance skills were so good, people were trying to bribe him onto their team for a good mark. But quickly, he found himself drifting to sleep again. The atmosphere was thick, sounds drifting away and echoing. He kept waking up abruptly, lifting his head from slumping in his desk chair. “…Are you there?” He lifted the phone back properly up to his ear, hearing Soonyoung’s concerned voice.

“Sorry…I’m falling asleep…” he mumbled, worrying his lip. He didn’t want to hang up. This was the first conversation they’d had all day, and he missed hearing his voice. He didn’t want Soonyoung to be upset.

“You poor thing,” he cooed, the hissing sound of the tap on the other line as he soaked his dishes. “We can hang up now if you want, we both have early days tomorrow.” His tone was soft, comforting. It reminded Jeonghan of how they sounded in bed beside each other, Soonyoung’s arms wrapped around him. His voice would get breathy, faltering in the grey area between speaking and whispering. It hurt to remember.

“I don’t want to hang up…” He hadn't meant to sound upset, since he didn't want to make Soonyoung feel the same way he did. He swallowed, the line going silent aside from Soonyoung’s soft sigh. He didn’t want them hanging up uncomfortably, and he bit his lip, the seconds going by feeling like an eternity.

“Okay, get ready for bed, and I’ll talk you to sleep,” Soonyoung told him, and he nodded, smiling. They had only done that a few times before, with his phone resting on the pillow beside him as he fell asleep. It felt like Soonyoung was with him.  
Getting ready for bed took longer than he wanted. He had a set routine, washing up and making sure all of his homework and school supplies were ready for the next day. Waking up early the next morning was going to be hell no matter what, so he forced himself to ready everything so the most he’d have to do is get out of bed and get dressed. Once everything was ready for the next day, he finally settled into bed. It felt cold and empty- no matter how long he slept alone, it felt like something was missing. He set his phone on speaker mode, pulling his covers up to his chin and curling up.

“Okay, I’m in bed now. Sorry if I fall asleep,” he mumbled, smiling at Soonyoung’s soft laugh.

“Don’t be sorry, that’s what I’m here for.”

“I miss you,” Jeonghan whispered, Soonyoung humming in response. He couldn’t tell if he was smiling or not.

“I miss you too. Now, what to talk about…” he trailed off, talking about something completely uninteresting involving finding a new bus stop that was easier to get to in time to catch the bus. He always saved boring stories for moments like these, in case Jeonghan would just want to hear his voice. He let himself lose focus of the words, drifting off to sleep quicker than he expected to. The next morning, he woke up to his phone battery low and a text from the previous night.

“You fell asleep so you didn’t hear me say goodnight. I love you talk to you later!” That made him smile, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He sent him a few hearts back before plugging in his phone as he started his day.

-

Two more weeks went by, Jeonghan’s workload grew heavier. He was managing, though barely. Coffee and comfortable clothes kept him going, face constantly stuck in his books and laptop. He tried to keep himself as organized as possible, but the stress and exhaustion was catching up on him. Luckily, at the end of the week most if not all of his assignments were to be handed in, since holiday break was coming up. Everything would finally be lifted off of his shoulders, and he’d have a few days off to relax.

He came home one day to Seokmin walking around the apartment, eyes glued to his laptop. Jeonghan set his bag down and watched him, only inches away from hitting the doorframe as he circled through rooms.

“What are you doing?” Jeonghan called out in a sing song tone, checking the time on his phone. Soonyoung would be done classes in 4 minutes, and he’d wanted to phone him. Seokmin walked back in, still glaring down at his screen.

“Reading a whole novel for tomorrow,” he replied, his hand pushing down on the arrow key to turn the page. Jeonghan furrowed his brow in confusion. None of their shared classes had any novels assigned. He assumed it was his elective course. He hummed in reply, keeping an eye on Seokmin as he walked into the kitchenette. He set up the one serving coffee maker, grabbing the ice tray from the freezer. The weather had warmed up more than he suspected, and he’d bussed home in layers that were too warm. Once his iced coffee was being prepared, he waited until Seokmin walked back into the room, stopping him with a firm hand to his shoulder.

“It’ll be easier to read if you sit still,” he told him, grabbing his laptop from his hands and setting it on the table. Seokmin groaned, pulling out the chair to sit down.

“I sat for three hours straight, I needed to move around.” He tipped his head back to let out a noise of frustration. Jeonghan smiled, walking back over to the coffee maker once it was done, sticking a straw into the cup to hand over to Seokmin. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the cup, taking it with his trademark enormous grin.

“You are an angel. I love you,” he said, and Jeonghan blew him a kiss as he walked back to the machine to make his own glass.

Checking his phone again as the machine poured his coffee, he texted Soonyoung. It was a repeated phrase, not too prying or needing immediate response: “Are you busy?” He put his phone back into his pocket, not wanting to seem desperate for a reply. He waited for his own iced coffee to finish before sitting down with it beside Seokmin. “What’s the book about?”

Seokmin chewed his lips as his eyes scanned over his current sentence before looking back up again. “It’s this, like, detailed metaphor about religion...or politics...or racism? Damn it, I still don’t know! I have a test tomorrow on it!” He groaned hopelessly, wiping his hands over his face.

Jeonghan laughed, swirling his straw around with his finger as he waited for the coffee to cool down. “It’s a literature class, you could twist it as a metaphor for any of them and it’ll sound right,” he assured him, not really having time to help him out of one of his many frustrated meltdowns. Seokmin jut his lip out in a pout, eyes already watering in his worry.

“Who cares this much about what a book means anyway?” he said grumpily, closing the tab where the book was open and resting his head against the table. Jeonghan leaned over and rubbed his arm soothingly, glad he didn’t have to get the tissues to soothe a blubbering mess. He checked his phone one more time, seeing his text had yet to be replied to, or even read. He frowned, Soonyoung usually made sure to reply after class, even if it was just to text back that he couldn’t talk. He didn’t let himself worry, just a little frustrated he had forgotten.

“You’ll do fine. You’re probably one of the only ones who’s attempting to read the book, and not just looking up the main themes online.” He lifted his hand to stroke Seokmin’s soft hair, seeing him visibly relax under the touch. Jeonghan felt the same tension in his own shoulders, trying to drop it the same way. He checked the time again, dreading the inevitable start to his own assignments that he desperately needed to attend to.

He had to pull his hand from Seokmin’s hair as he abruptly lifted his head from the surface of the table. “You mean I could have saved myself the time and read all that online!! Ugh!” He leaned back down on the table, this time resting his head on his arms. He kicked his feet under the table in anger, and Jeonghan patted his back.

“Sorry buddy, I have my own work to do. Good luck, don’t die on me and waste a good drink.” He stood up, grabbing his cup and leaving Seokmin alone to do his sulking. He heard him grumbling to himself, followed by aggressive typing as he likely decided to google the book instead of reading it.

Locking himself into his own room, he started his own assignment. It was meant to be easier than his others, its worst offense being that it was time consuming. But he found himself having trouble finding one of his sources online. With over 25 tabs open, he desperately combed through the internet before thankfully finding it. It took up way more time than he had, and he wiped his hands over his face, trying not to get angry over the time wasted.

His phone vibrated a few times while he was too focused to notice, typing as fast as possible to make up for lost time. He didn’t check it until a half hour later, not wanting to lose his train of thought. He eventually stopped, having enough of a word count to convince himself to take a break, leaning back in his chair and cracking his knuckles. Reaching over to grab his phone, he saw Soonyoung had texted him back.

Two simple texts, meaning he was busy when he sent them: “What’s up?” and “Are you busy?” Jeonghan closed a few of the useless tabs before quickly typing up his reply. He hoped Soonyoung would be able to book time off so they could see each other during his break. It had been so long since they both had time to visit each other, and it would be the perfect way for him to fully relax. Surprisingly, Soonyoung replied immediately after, but the message was curt. “I’ll see.” It said. Jeonghan sighed, not letting himself overthink the message. They were both busy and would both accidentally be short with one another. He sent back a quick message of affirmation, knowing they would talk properly later. Giving his neck a proper stretch, he forced himself to get back to work.

-

Later that night, they had their proper phone call together. Luckily, Jeonghan had finished the assignment, so he didn’t worry about talking late into the night. He was laughing, listening to Soonyoung as he and Minghao had some sort of mini argument in the background. He couldn’t catch much of the conversation, just Soonyoung laughing and fake yelling. He heard the door shut behind him as he likely entered his bedroom.

Soonyoung sighed. “He’s lucky he’s such a good dance partner, or I would’ve kicked him out ages ago.” He heard him grunt as he fell onto his bed, likely stomach first. Jeonghan fiddled aimlessly with a pencil, spinning in his chair.

“I’m sure he’s grateful you keep him,” he replied, grimacing when he chewed a bit too hard on the metal piece of his pencil, the texture and taste disgusting against his teeth. When he pulled it out of his mouth, the piece was contorted, eraser threatening to pop off it he went at it any further. “Hey, about my break… are you able to book it off?” The question came out weaker than he’d intended, closing his eyes as he waited for the answer.

“I… I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Jeonghan swallowed against a sudden lump in his throat, nodding even though Soonyoung couldn’t see him. The holiday would have been the only chance they’d have to see each other for awhile. He suddenly had the urge to see Soonyoung.

“Can we video call?” he asked, pushing his hair back from his eyes in his first steps to look presentable.

“Yeah, yeah. Hang on.” He pulled the phone from his ear, seeing the call end on the screen. He looked at himself in the dim black reflection of his phone to make sure he looked okay before the prompt to video call came up. He swiped to accept, waiting for the cameras and mic to turn on properly before he said anything. Soonyoung had on a dark baseball cap, hiding his hair. He smiled straight into the camera. “Hey.”

“Your hair’s covered up,” Jeonghan pointed out, standing up from his desk chair to sit cross legged on his bed. He squinted to find any evidence of hair peeking out, but Soonyoung adjusted his hat.

“It’s super gross right now. You don’t need to see that.” He grinned, and even through the poor video quality, Jeonghan could see how his eyes sparkled when he spoke to him.

“I’ve seen it a lot worse. You know I don’t care.” He didn’t understand why he was so fussy about it, but he didn’t prod him further, humming to himself as he figured out what he was going to say next. The call lagged as Soonyoung shifted on the bed, and when the quality returned to normal he had turned on his lamp and stuck his earbuds in. “I miss you a lot.”

Soonyoung nodded, and Jeonghan missed how it felt to rest his arms on his shoulders and lift his hands to the back of his neck to stroke his hair. “I miss you too. I miss holding hands.”

Jeonghan grabbed a pillow, resting his cheek against it. “Yeah? I miss that too. Especially when I’m on the bus by myself.” Soonyoung giggled, exposing his adorable teeth, cheeks round and eyes crinkled.

“I miss sleeping together,” he said, and Jeonghan parted his lips in shock. Soonyoung quickly defended himself, eyes going wide and stumbling over his explanation. “I mean- not like that! Well, I do miss sex. But I miss just sleeping with you.”

Jeonghan grinned through the embarrassment, cheeks getting hot. He gripped his sheets remembering Soonyoung’s hands running over his body. “I miss both too.”

Soonyoung wiped at his face as he explained, looking drained. “I miss the way you relax. How you make the room dark, and don’t play music. How you just set everything up to sleep. And we whisper to each other, and you’re right there. I sleep better with you.” Jeonghan smiled wide, almost wanting to cry. It was a genuine and vulnerable moment, and he missed how well they connected when they were together.

“Now I feel bad. I’m not there to help. You need to sleep properly and keep up your energy,” he told him, watching Soonyoung shift his phone into his other hand before propping it up on the side table by his bed. He sat back, showing he was wearing shorts. With his job and his dance studies, his legs were strong, the shape only improving as the semester went on.

“I get by. And we’ll see each other soon,” Soonyoung replied, removing the jewelry he was wearing. Jeonghan felt his stomach drop, remembering how he had brushed aside Jeonghan’s earlier request. He swallowed the feelings down, nodding listlessly.

“Promise?” he mumbled, looking straight at the lens, mimicking meeting Soonyoung’s gaze.

“I promise,” he affirmed, settling against the pillows. Jeonghan smiled. Those words were nothing but false hope, one thing to cling onto during the grueling months of separation and loneliness. He didn’t let himself become bitter, or to drown in the sorrow of it all. He knew how those words barely had any weight, but he kept them anyway, knowing that coming from Soonyoung, they were true.

They talked together for a few more hours, laughing and sharing stories until they were both exhausted. Jeonghan wanted them to be in the same room together, so each joke or anecdote could be accompanied by touch, by affection. The next time he saw Soonyoung, he would hold him tight and never let him go back to the academy, back to his apartment too far away, so he could hold him forever.

-

The day before the holiday break, Jeonghan was in a terrible mood. He hadn’t wanted to let the failed plans get to him, but it quickly caught up. His sleep had been minimal, sprinkled with bad weather and loud noises in the morning to keep him from getting real rest in the few hours he managed to get it. His body was sore, a constant headache throbbing in his temples, caffeine no longer having an effect on his alertness. He fell deep into the hole of his own bad mood, distracted and grumpy when spoken to.

He waddled out into the kitchen, slippers slapping the floor. Seokmin looked to be in better spirits, handing Jeonghan a mug of coffee with a bright and sympathetic smile. Even Jeonghan couldn’t hide his small, exhausted but endeared smile at Seokmin’s dazzling grin in his puppy pyjama set. “Hey, sleepy head! Feeling better?” he asked. Jeonghan shook his head, running his hand through his dry hair.

Seokmin frowned slightly. “Are you still upset about Soonyoung?”

Jeonghan shrugged. “It’s been a long week. I guess I just wish he was here. So I could relax.” He took a sip of his coffee, savouring the taste. Seokmin looked like he was struggling to hide excitement, a plan at the tip of his tongue.

“I have an idea. Tomorrow morning, when our break has really started, let’s go out. We can go to that one place you like, the one with all the different food. Stuffing your face will cheer you up!” Jeonghan furrowed his brow, he had no idea how Seokmin knew the place he was talking about, a place where he and Soonyoung found together. They’d kept it their little secret.

“I don’t know…” He was reluctant about going out, not really feeling up to doing something so time and money consuming. Seokmin pouted slightly.

“Please? I know it will help you feel better!” He stared at Jeonghan with pleading eyes, his default smiling expression returning, wide with anticipation. If he hadn’t looked like a ray of sunshine, Seokmin would never get what he wanted. Jeonghan sighed, nodding in inevitable agreement, laughing softly when Seokmin shook him in excitement. “Good good! We can meet up at the restaurant tomorrow, I got errands to run.”

“What errands do you have?” Jeonghan asked with a slight tilt of his head. The only real errands he had were ones they shared, usually grocery shopping or laundry. Seokmin looked down at the floor and mumbled something about the bank and speaking to a professor, losing a bit of his bright energy. Whether it was nerves or just plain grumpiness about completing those tasks, Jeonghan understood. He took another sip of his coffee and nodded. “This better be worth it.” He warned playfully.

Seokmin nodded eagerly. “Yes! Yes, I know it will be!” He skipped past Jeonghan, reaching for his phone and typing away eagerly. Jeonghan wished his mood could reach as high as his, watching as he left the room, leaving him alone with his coffee.

The next day, Jeonghan got ready to head out. Seokmin was already out of the house like he said he was going to be, even before Jeonghan woke up. It rarely happened, since he usually slept in just as much as Jeonghan did. His morning routine felt a little lonely without him, the only perk was that the bathroom was free for him to shower and do his hair. When he tried texting him for any updates, Seokmin only send back the sleepy emoji. He eventually gave up trying, staring at his outfit while he brushed his teeth in front of the mirror. Seokmin insisted he dress properly, after spending days on end in his comfier clothes. The tighter jeans and properly tucked in shirt felt almost uncomfortable after so much time spent in sweats.

He was finally ready to go after rinsing his mouth, leaving the bathroom after one more spit for good measure. He collected his things, sending two texts, one bothering Seokmin again and one morning text to Soonyoung. Neither replied, and Seokmin even had the audacity to leave him on read. He huffed impatiently, having to walk down to the restaurant without knowing if Seokmin was there or not. He sent another passive aggressive message for good measure, finally getting a response. “Meet you there!”

Jeonghan waited outside the place for a minute or two, too embarrassed to wait inside. He looked around, seeing no one on the street he recognized. A little frustrated, he resorted to phoning Seokmin. He answered, making a lot of noise on the other line as he lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey!”

“Are you here yet?” Jeonghan said with a false cheer, knowing Seokmin would read his feelings from the sickly sweet tone.

“On my way! Wait inside, I’ll be in red!” Was all he said in a distant voice through a large grin. He hung up abruptly, leaving Jeonghan to lock his phone with a short huff. He walked into the restaurant, looking around for the red Seokmin promised he’d be in. He wasn’t there yet, and Jeonghan settled on sitting down. A waitress came over with a polite smile, nodding when he explained he was waiting on a friend. He realized the seat he had picked faced away from the door, giving him a disadvantage when Seokmin finally showed up.

Two more minutes passed, feeling like an eternity. Jeonghan was leaning his head on his hand, sighing sadly. He was right in the middle of texting Seokmin again when he felt a figure step up behind him. In the corner of his eye, he saw a bright red shirt.

“Is someone sitting here?” asked a familiar voice, and Jeonghan whipped his head to face the voice in shock. He gasped, quickly dissolving into a nervous laughter as he stood up shakily. He smiled wide as he pulled Soonyoung into a tight hug. He laughed against his shoulder, pressing his face against it to inhale and fully take him in. Soonyoung rubbed his back softly with both hands, their hug lingering because neither wanted to pull back. Jeonghan pulled away slowly, aware of the public around them. He grabbed Soonyoung’s arms and got a good look at him, making sure it was really him. Soonyoung beamed back at him.

“You dyed your hair!” Jeonghan exclaimed, reaching up to touch it. He had it dyed lighter colours for almost a year, but now it was a stark black. “It looks incredible.”

Soonyoung grinned. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted it all to be a surprise. Seokmin was in on it, don’t be mad at him.” Jeonghan had forgotten about Seokmin, too distracted by how giddy and relieved he was that Soonyoung was really there with him. He gestured for Soonyoung to sit, cheeks starting to hurt from his grin. As Soonyoung shifted the chair so they sat beside each other rather than across, Jeonghan unlocked his phone intending to apologize to Seokmin. He found a text from him already, littered with various heart emojis. “You’re welcome. Have fun!” Jeonghan smiled, sending back a kissing face before locking his phone to focus on Soonyoung. His heart skipped when he felt their legs brush, Soonyoung playfully rubbing against Jeonghan’s calf with his foot.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you so much,” Jeonghan told him, watching Soonyoung’s smile somehow widen. He discreetly took Soonyoung’s hand beneath the table, aware of the restaurant gradually getting busier. Soonyoung squeezed against his touch, thumb instinctively stroking the back of his hand.

“I missed you too.” He gestured to the menu, opening it with his free hand. “I already know you’re getting pasta. What should I get?” he trailed off as he looked at the menu, chewing on his lip as he aimlessly flipped through. Jeonghan didn’t take his eyes off him, heart swelling until it felt close to bursting. Soonyoung was with him, no pixelated image or distorted cell phone audio. No missed messages or being too busy to reply. The waitress came back to take their drink orders, and Jeonghan barely noticed, fully immersed in Soonyoung. The low mood he had been trapped in was gone as if it never existed. He had him all to himself, and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

Suddenly Soonyoung’s eyes met his, and Jeonghan could see the curiosity in them. He realized he hadn’t been answering him and let out an embarrassed laugh.

“Sorry,” he said, leaning a little closer. Soonyoung’s cheeks tinged pink, but he didn’t pull away. “I just can’t believe you’re really here…”

He felt Soonyoung squeeze his hand tightly, almost enough to hurt. Jeonghan could see his eyes starting to shine wetly before he blinked it away, his smile stretching wide across his face again.

“Of course I am,” he whispered. “I promised.”


End file.
